3 Honor Students' Hit List Is Called Fake

Three Alden-Hebron High School honor students face suspension for compiling what authorities believe was a mock hit list of fellow students and faculty.

The three 17-year-old girls have been compiling a list of people who annoy them, ranging from students and teachers to "Brad Pitt's girlfriend," Hebron Police Chief Robert Felker said Monday.

The small McHenry County community is about 15 miles southwest of Burlington, Wis., where three students were formally charged last week with plotting to murder high school students and faculty.

Felker said he was sure the list was little more than adolescent musings, but the recent string of violent attacks in the nation's schools swayed him to question the girls.

"Half of the people said we should have taken it more seriously," Felker said about the town's reaction to the case. "The other half are like, `Why are you bothering everyone with this?' It's kind of a Catch-22 for us."

On Thursday, a student got a copy of the list, which contained about 30 names, and took it to school administrators. The girls have been making the list for three years, Felker said.

"They just had no idea it was going to be like this and no idea that the list was going to get out," Felker said.

McHenry County Assistant State's Atty. Terence Nader, the chief criminal prosecutor, said his office had reviewed the case and found no basis for criminal charges because other than a heading that said either "hit list" or "assassination list," there was no criminal plan or intent to harm anyone.

"Because of recent events, you have to be cautious, but you don't want to overreact, either," Nader said.

Nader and Felker said the girls will be suspended from school for several days. School officials were unavailable for comment or declined to comment.

Hebron Village President Frank Beatty said townspeople in the village of 800 were divided over whether to take the matter seriously.

"If you are a parent who had a kid on the list, then you tended to be very concerned," Beatty said.